Apparatus for dispensing and applying alcohol to applicators



Mn 24, 1950 J. P. SAKOWSKI 2,495,551

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AND APPLYING ALCOHOL T0 APPLICATORS mm Jan. 30, 1947 a Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor John P Sakowski Jan. 24, W50 J. P. SAKOWSKI 2,495,551

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AND APPLYING ALCOHOL T0 APPLICATORS Filed Jan. 30, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 2. 4/ 50 Fig Inventor John F? Sakowski 19% J. P. SAKOWSKI 2,495,551

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AND APPLYING ALCOHOL T0 APPLICATORS Filed Jan. 30, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor John I? Sakowski Aneys atentedi Jan. 24, 1950 STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING AND APPLY- ING ALCOHOL TO APPLICATORS 4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for dispensing and applying alcohol to applicators such as cotton swabs, and the like, commonly used in local antisepsis treatment in doctors oflices, clinics, hospitals and similar institutions.

The primary object of my invention is to provide efiicient, practical apparatus for simplifying application of alcohol to such swabs by re- .ducing to a minimum the number of operations and time required in saturating such swabs according to common practice, while, at the same time, providing for conserving alcohol, and promoting sanitation.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character and for the purposes above set forth for dispensing the alcohol in variable, selected quantities, as desired, without waste either through evaporation or spilling.

Still another object is to provide for accomplishing the above objectives by means of apvantages thereof will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a view in perspective of my improved apparatus in a preferred embodiment thereof, partly broken away and shown in section to illustrate the interior construction thereof;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in vertical section partly broken away and drawn to a larger scale and illustrating the details of construction of the dispensing means;

Figure 3 is a similar view illustrating the operation of the dispensing means;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in plan of the base and the spreader plate partly broken away to show the disc spring;

Figure 5 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to my invention, in the illustrated embodiment thereof, a container of any suitable size and material is provided which is preferably of rectangular form and of a height adapting the same for use as waist high floor equipment. The bottom 2 of the container is raised, for a purpose presently clear, and a vertical transverse partition 3 divides said container into a righthand compartment 4 for containing alcohol, and a left-hand compartment 5 for containing loose cotton or other swab material. A flanged top 6 fitting over the top edge of the container and suitably secured in place by bolts 1 closes said container. A filter neck 8 with a closure flap 9 is provided in the top 6, in any suitable location over the compartment 4, for use in filling said compartment with alcohol, not shown. A flanged hand hole 50, preferably circular, is provided in the top 6 in the vertical center of the compartment 5 for filling said compartment with loose cotton and removing the same therefrom at will. A circular well II is formed in the top 6, in the vertical center of the alcohol containing compartment 4 for a purpose presently apparent. A boxtype lid [2 is hinged, as at l3, to the top 6, at the rear edge of said top, to be swung down on to the top and cover the filler neck, hand opening Ill, and well The hinges |3 are of the spring tensioned type, as indicated at M, for springing the lid open. Any suitable form of spring catch, for instance that shown at l5, may be utilized on the top 6 for coaction with a slot I6 in the lid l2 to releasably latch said lid l2 down.

The described container embodies therein alcohol dispensing means associated with the alcohol containing compartment 4 and now to be described.

An open top cylinder I1 is formed in the bottom 2 of the container I to extend above and below said bottom 2 in vertical alignment with the well H, and with a closed lower end portion |8 depending below said bottom 2, and a pair of longitudinal, diametrically opposite, inlet slots l9 therein above said bottom 2 and open to the level of said bottom. A piston 20 with a working fit in the cylinder I1 is suitably fixed on the lower end of a tubular axial stem 2| vertically slidable in an axial aperture 22 in the bottom of the well l and extending up into said well. The stem 2| is provided on the upper end thereof with a circumferentially larger, concentric head 23 having a concentric top recess of circular form therein for a purpose presently seen. A stop collar 26 is secured to the stem 2| by a set screw 2'! for engagement with the bottom of the well H to limit upward movement of the stem 2|, in which limit of movement the stem 20 is positioned above the bottom 2 of the container and the bottoms of the slots l9, as best shown in Figure 2, and the head 23 is spaced in the well above 'the bottom of said well. An upstanding, tapering coil spring 28 interposed between the bottom 2 der I1 and stem 2| urges said stem and the piston 20 into the described upward limit of movement thereof.

A basin 29 of circular, downwardly tapering form, and of an overall size to fit in the well surmounts the head 23 concentrically thereof for vertical movement therewith, a bottom recess 3|] in said basin fitting over said head 23 snugly to retain said basin in place on said head while permitting removal of said basin for cleaning pur- Preferably, the basin 29 in the limit of.

poses. upward movement of the stem 2| protrudes slightly out of the well II for convenient access to the same. A threaded stop rod 3] vertically adjustable endwise in a vertical side bore 32 in the bottom of the basin 29 and adjustable by a knurled thumb nut 33 protruding out of 'a recess 34 in said side of the basin depends below the bottom of the basin 29 for engagement'with the bottom of the well II to limit downward movement of said basin and hence of the stem 2 and the piston 29. Above the recess 24', the basin 29 is provided with an axial bore 35 terminating in a flared lower end forming a conical valve seat 36' at the top of the recess 24 for a conical valve member 31 provided with a stem 38 extending upwardly through the bore 35 with a clearance sufficient to permit liquid to pass through the bore 95 past said stem.

A disc like spreader plate 39 is fixed on a reduced upper end stud 40 on the valve stem 33 by upsetting said stud 40, as at 4|. The spreader plate 39 is provided with circumferential edge notches 92 therein to permit the passage of liquid alcohol through the edge of the same, and is upwardly against the valve seat 36', as best shown f in Figure 2.

A plug 41 is provided in the partition 3 adjacent to the bottom 2 of the container for removal, when desired, to establish communication between the compartments 5, 5.

The manner in which the described invention is designed to be used and operated will now be described. With the catch l9 released, the lid l3 springs open to expose the hand hole It and basin 29. The inlet slots hi in the cylinder I? provide for alcohol in the compartment 4 entering the cylinder l1 below the piston 2il'when the latter is in its upward limit of of movement and for draining the compartment 4 completely of alcohol so that no alchol is wasted by being left in the apparatus. Cotton from the compartment 5', suffi'cient to form a swab, is'remove'd through the hand hole It and pressed in the basin 29 downwardly against the spreader plate 39L By thus exerting sufficient pressure against said spreader plate 39, the plate is pressed downwardly into the recess 49; in opposition to the disc spring ie, to lower the valve member 36 and thereby open the valve seat 39, said valve member then hanging free in the recess'24of the head 23, as best shown inv Figure 3. When the disc spring 44 has been flattened out by such: pressure onthe spreader plate 39 and said plate reaches its downward limit of movementagainst said 'spring, as shown in Figure 3', furtherpressure against the plate causes the basin 29 to be lowered into the well whereby the stem 2| is lowered, in opposition to the coil spring 28, to lower the piston 20 in the cylinder ll below the level of the bottom 2 of the container Such lowering of the piston 20 forces alcohol contained in the lower end portion of the cylinder I! up through the stem 2| past the valve member 37 and out of the bore 35 to impinge against the bottom of the spreader plate 39 and form a spray which escapes from under the spreader plate 39 past the edge of said plate through the notches 44 to moisten or saturate the swab being pressed against said spreader plate 39. As will be understood, downward movement of the basin 29 and hence of the stem 2| and piston |l may be variably limited selectively by adjustment of the stop rod 3| so that the piston 29 will dispense variable quantities of alcohol from the cylinder [7. When pressure against the spreader plate 39 is relieved, the disc spring 4& will react to return the spreader plate 39 into" its upward limit of movement, thus seating the valve member 31 and closing the bore 35 against escape of alcohol fumes from the alcohol containing compartment 1, and the coil spring 28 will return the basin 29, stem 2| and piston 20 into the limit of upward movement thereof, thus conditioning the dispensing means for repeat operations. By removing the plug 4 1, both compartments 5 may be used for storing alcohOl therein, thus enlarging the capacity of the apparatus as regards alcohol supply, and cotton may be used from some other source of supply than the compartment 5.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufiice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I' claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described a container having a closed compartment therein provided with a top and adapted to contain a liquid, a vertically movable basin projecting above the top of said compartment, means operative by downward movement of said basin to force liquid out of said compartment to the bottom of said basin, valve means in the bottom of said basin operative downwardly independently of downward movement of said basin by pressure against the same to admit the liquid through said bottom, and a spreader plate in said basin for deflecting said liquid to the side of the basin depressible in the basin to exert pressure against said valve means.

2. In an apparatus of the class described a container having. a closed compartment therein provided with a top and adapted to contain a liquid,v a vertically movable basin projecting above the topof said. compartment, means operative by downward movement of said basin to force liquid out of said compartment to the bottom of said basin, valvemeans in the bottom of said basin operative downwardly independently of downward movement of said basin by pressure against the same to admit the liquid through said bottom, and a spreader plate in said. basin for deflecting said liquid to the side of the basin depressible in the basin to exert pressure against said valve means and subsequently against said basin tomove said basin downwardly.

3. In an apparatus of the class described a container having a closed compartment therein provided with a top and adapted to contain a liquid, a vertically movable basin projecting above the top of said compartment, means operative by downward movement of said basin to force liquid out of said compartment to the bottom of said basin, valve means in the bottom of said basin operative downwardly independently of downward movement of said basin by pressure against the same to admit the liquid through said bottom, and a spreader plate in said basin for deflecting said liquid to the side of the basin depressible in the basin to exert pressure against said valve means, said spreader plate being spring tensioned against depression and normally maintaining said valve means closed.

4. In an apparatus of the class described a container having a closed compartment therein provided with a top and adapted to contain a liquid, a vertically movable basin projecting above the top of said compartment, means operative by downward movement of said basin to force liquid out of said compartment to the bottom of said basin, valve means in the bottom of said basin operative downwardly independently of downward movement of said basin by pressure against 6 the same to admit the liquid through said bottom, and a spreader plate in said basin for defleeting said liquid to the side of the basin depressible in the basin to exert pressure against said valve means, the means first mentioned comprising a cylinder in the bottom of the compartment, a piston in said cylinder, and a hollow stem establishing communication between said cylinder and valve means and having said basin and piston mounted on the opposite ends thereof, said cylinder having one end portion depending below the bottom of the compartment and being slotted from said bottom upwardly to provide for draining of all liquid in the compartment into said cylinder.

JOHN P. SAKOWSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Edwards June 19, 1945 

